A/N: ...I am so ashamed of myself... I hope no one thought I gave up on this fic, because I didn't. I've just been lazy, and busy with school... I'm very sorry! I'll try harder, especially when summer vacation starts near the end of June! Anyway, here's chapter 24! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned LoZ, but I don't. Nintendo does, and whoever makes the manga... I just own my plot, made-up monsters and items, and OCs...

Many Thanks To: SoulDea, i-wish-a7x, and LittlePidgey~!

The Links' personal Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it. At the moment, he also has his weird half-dragon-ness, including a tail, wings that he can use to fly, very strong legs, and a clawed right arm with the strength of a dragon...

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? Also has the Dark Mirror Shield, and that dagger of his. And bombs!

Chapter 24: Links through Past and Present Alike

~Veran's Fortress~

Veran sits in the room with the floating crystals, the red and blue ones in front of her.

"(Veran) Those brats may have escaped me for now, but I will have my revenge... Be it that infuriating brat who defeated me, or his descendants, I will make every "Link" I can suffer my wrath! Every last one!"

'Even though I don't particularly enjoy his company, I might as well bring my old... partner to this time. Surely his desire for revenge against Link is as strong as mine; I know he met the same fate as I... It's all in this backward, never-changing land of Hyrule's pathetic legends, after all. Seriously, would it kill these stupid Hylians to just use history books like everyone else? I'll never understand their pathetic tradition and lore, it's all just glorified history class anyway... And all it ever does is repeat itself; over and over and over until it makes me want to puke. Enough happy endings. This chapter of Hyrule's history will end as a dark one!'

The vengeful sorceress laughs maliciously, sending the red and blue crystals back to their places alongside the other two with a wave of her hand.

"(Veran) Ah, the look on that brat's face will be absolutely priceless~..."

~Somewhere in the past~

"A-choo!"

A green-clad young boy sneezes as he sits on the wooden fence of his family's small farm, a cute little chick perched on his shoulder.

"(boy) *wipes his nose* Hope I'm not getting sick... Anyway, Piyoko, I guess you're really happy that whole mess is over with, huh?"

"(chick) Peep!"

The chick nods energetically in agreement, falling off the boy's shoulder in her excitement. He laughs as he catches her in his lap, grinning happily.

"(boy) And I'm glad you're okay too, Piyoko! Hahaha!"

The sound of flapping wings becomes audible as a small bird flies down to perch next to the boy on the fence, looking at him expectantly. There's a letter tied to its leg.

"(boy) Huh? For me? Wonder who it's from..."

He unties the letter and the bird flies off, back to its home. The boy's eyes widen as he sees the royal seal stamped onto the paper, opening it quickly and reading it aloud.

"(boy) Dear Link, I apologize for troubling you so soon after your adventures' end, but this is urgent. As you know, Nayru, Din and I have been working together to search for Veran and Onox, the villains who fled through time using a stolen fragment of Nayru's power as the Oracle of Ages. They have finally been found, having been sent quite far into the future... Nayru says we should be able to send you to that time, though you will not be able to stay for long. However, I believe that there must be at least one hero such as yourself residing in that timeframe, therefore you may be able to get his aid or vice versa... I know you must have many questions, and we shall discuss this further when you arrive. Please come to the castle as soon as you are able. Sincerely, the Princess Zelda."

He pauses, letting the information sink in.

"(boy) Here we go again, Piyoko... Well, adventuring is lots of fun anyway, right? We'd better hurry to the castle!"

~Back in the Present~

"(white-clad boy) A-and th-the h-he-hero... Th-the hero d-dr-drew h-his sw-sword and... The hero drew the sword gi-given to him by the P-Pi-Picori and str-struck down the evil, s-sealing all the m-mo-monsters away..."

Shadow's mysterious little lookalike is laying on his stomach on a child-size bed, his legs crossed and waving slightly in the air as he reads from an oversized, ancient-looking tome. He seems to have gotten much better at pronouncing words, but that odd stutter is still very much present.

"(white-clad boy) His sword was christened the Pi-Picori Blade, and enshrined... For a h-h-hun-hundred years, the blade remained untouched, and the monsters were gone from Hyrule..."

He's reading an old legend, one known throughout Hyrule. However, the version he has appears to be a compilation of many such legends...

"Then, on the hundredth anniversary of the hero's victory, the day of the annual Picori Festival, a mysterious stranger with pale lavender skin entered the traditional sword-fighting tournament and emerged the victor. A few of Castle Town's residents wondered about this youth, though most were simply happy about how special this day was. Legend and lore states that the door to the world of the Picori only opens once every hundred years, and this was that day. As was customary, he was allowed to approach the enshrined Picori Blade, and was to be awarded a finely-forged sword as his prize. However, this mysterious youth had an entirely different reason for coming to the festival... A powerful sorcerer in truth, the stranger broke the Picori Blade in two with a single blast of magic power, releasing the monsters it had for so long bound and defeating any soldier who dared attack him with ease. He then turned the Princess to stone and disappeared in a swirl of wind, his eerie, strangely childlike laughter lingering in the air..."

~Jabu Jabu's Spring~

Vaati stirs slightly and groans, his bright red eyes slowly flickering open.

"(Green) Hey. Finally up, huh?"

"(Vaati) ...Next time, I'm not going to bother just HINTING that I want to be left alone. You're obviously too stupid to understand. *annoyed*"

Green looks offended.

"(Green) Hey, I'm not stupid! I did leave. I only came back because I heard something and wanted to check it out just in case!"

The annoyed sorcerer stands up and brushes himself off, glaring at Green with an irritable expression.

"(Vaati) And why did you want to check it out, hmm?"

Green sweat drops.

"(Green) Uhh, b-because it could've been a monster! O-or a group of them, planning a sneak attack on Zora's Domain!"

Vaati drops the glare and lets out an eerie laugh, pointing his finger at Green in a weak taunt.

"(Vaati) Fine, fine. I'll forgive you... This time. As for next time... Hihihi... You had best make sure there won't BE one, or you'll regret it."

'Hihi, Green, you're as transparent as glass... It wasn't Zora's Domain you were worried about at all, was it? But... Why would he be worried about me in the first place? Back at Sky-Tall Tower, it was the same way... He rescued me and took an attack from Veran instead of taking the chance I gave him to escape without her even knowing he was there, even though I TOLD him I wasn't worth it... Why...? ...Maybe it's just part of what makes someone a hero... They even care about someone like me, someone who doesn't deserve the least bit of compassion or sympathy...'

"(Green) Quit being creepy, Vaati. It's kinda hard to be intimidating when you're at least a good inch or two shorter than me, you know."

Vaati flushes slightly, looking angry.

"(Vaati) I am NOT short!"

"(Green) Short or no, you're still shorter than me. *matter of fact*"

The purple-skinned youth backs down, letting Green win this one.

'I hate to admit it, but he's right... I am shorter than him.'

"(Green) Anyway, it's around lunch time now. Do you want to head back to the cottage to eat, or are you going to stay out here a bit longer?"

Vaati's stomach growls at the mention of "lunch time."

"(Vaati) ..."

Green laughs.

"(Green) I'll take that as a yes. Race you! No magic or flying allowed!"

Vaati smirks.

"(Vaati) You're on."

A/N: And it's shorter than usual, too... I was low on ideas and wanted to finally get this out to all you readers so you don't give up on me... I really, really need inspiration right now, so any and all suggestions you may have are welcome! Anyway... Please review! I don't even care if it's flames or not any more, or if it's anonymous, just review! Pleeeeaaaase? *puppy dog eyes*